doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2785-19 Intern Med Advance Publication http://internmed.jp 【 CASE REPORT 】 Development of Allergic Bronchopulmonary Aspergillosis in a Patient with Crohn’s Disease Hisashi Sasaki, Jun Miyata, Yohei Maki, Yoshifumi Kimizuka, Nobuyoshi Hayashi, Yuji Fujikura and Akihiko Kawana Abstract: Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is an eosinophilic inflammatory condition characterized by exaggerated immune responses to the fungal genus Aspergillus. Pulmonary manifestations in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) are frequent comorbidities. A 66-year-old man with CD treated with an anti-tumor ne- crosis factor-α antibody presented with dyspnea. Laboratory findings of elevated blood eosinophils and total serum IgE and positive aspergillus-specific antibodies as well as imaging findings of central bronchiectasis and mucoid impaction indicated a diagnosis of ABPA. To our knowledge, this is the first report of ABPA arising in a patient with CD. We discuss the pathophysiological mechanism of this rare complication. Key words: anti-tumor necrosis factor-α antibody, aspergillus, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, pulmonary disorder (Intern Med Advance Publication) (DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2785-19) surgical resections of inflamed intestinal lesions, where lon- Introduction gitudinal ulcers with noncaseating epithelioid granuloma were observed. He had been started on systemic corticoster- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis (ABPA) is char- oids (40 mg/day) 3 years earlier to improve control of the acterized by central bronchiectasis and recurrent pulmonary CD, but the symptoms persisted. The corticosteroid was ta- infiltrates. It manifests as poorly controlled asthma and af- pered to 30 mg/day after a few months, but the symptoms fects an estimated four million patients worldwide (1). This worsened. To avoid adverse reactions to corticosteroids, the condition is an established complication of asthma and cys- patient had been started on anti-TNF-α antibody without tic fibrosis. However, its pathophysiological mechanism re- modification of the steroid dosage two years earlier. This mains unknown. Environmental factors might not be the sole strategy suppressed his symptoms and enabled him to dis- cause of this pulmonary disorder because not all patients continue the corticosteroid. with asthma who are sensitive to aspergillus develop ABPA. After two years on maintenance doses of anti-TNF-α anti- This indicates the importance of genetic predispositions or body, he presented with paroxysmal dyspnea and wheezing multiple environmental factors. that worsened at night and during the early morning. These We herein report a patient who developed ABPA during symptoms indicated asthma. Respiratory function tests re- treatment with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α antibody vealed obstructive airway impairment. He had a history of for Crohn’s disease (CD). acute myocardial infarction but had no symptoms or labora- tory findings suggestive of heart failure. He did not have a Case Report history of childhood asthma, indicative of adult-onset asthma. There was the possibility of concomitant chronic A 66-year-old man who had developed CD 33 years ear- obstructive pulmonary disease because he had smoked one lier was initially treated with mesalazine (3,000 mg/day), but pack of cigarettes per day until smoking cessation. Initial the symptoms gradually worsened, and he underwent two asthma therapy with an inhaled corticosteroid and long- Division of Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, National Defense Medical College, Japan Received: February 3, 2019; Accepted: April 9, 2019; Advance Publication by J-STAGE: June 27, 2019 Correspondence to Dr. Jun Miyata, [email protected] 1 Intern Med Advance Publication DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2785-19 Figure 1. Imaging findings three years before ABPA development and after two years of anti- TNF-α antibody therapy. Imaging findings three years before ABPA development show no abnor- malities (A, C) but support a diagnosis of ABPA two years later (B, D). Chest radiograph (B) shows consolidation in the middle and lower areas of the right lung. Chest computed tomography (D) shows airspace consolidation, ground glass opacity, and central bronchiectasis in the lower lobe of the right lung. ABPA: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis Table 1. Blood Findings upon Admission. Peripheral blood Biochemistry White blood cells 9,400 /uL Total bilirubin 0.36 mg/dL Neutrophil 45.1 % Aspartate transaminase 22 U/L Lymphocyte 16.5 % Alanine transaminase 15 U/L Basophil 0.4 % Lactate dehydrogenase 246 U/L Eosinophil 28.9 % Alkaline phophatase 485 U/L Monocyte 9.1 % γ-glutamyl transpeptidase 27 U/L Hemoglobin 10.5 g/dL Total protein 7.7 g/dL Hematocrit 32.0 % Albumin 3.9 g/dL Platelets 24.4 /uL Urea nitrogen 29 mg/dL Creatinine 1.12 mg/dL IgE-RIST 1,200 IU/mL Sodium 132 mEq/L IgE-RAST Potassium 5.0 mEq/L Aspergillus 29.9 UA/mL Chloride 96 mEq/L Calcium 9.6 mEq/L C-reactive protein 1.3 mEq/L IgE: immunoglobulin-E, RIST: radioimmunosorbent test, RAST: radioallergosorbent test acting beta-agonist controlled his respiratory symptoms well. Systemic prednisolone (30 mg/day) and itraconazole (100 However, radiography findings revealed consolidation in the mg/day) were initiated because of inadequate symptomatic middle and lower areas of the right lung (Fig. 1A and B), improvement. The patient responded well to these agents, and chest computed tomography revealed central bronchiec- and his symptoms improved substantially. Serum total IgE tasis in the bilateral lungs with mixed consolidation and and eosinophil counts simultaneously decreased (650 IU/mL ground-glass opacity (Fig. 1C and D). Emphysema and/or and 76 cells/mL, respectively) with reduced radiographic ab- interstitial opacities were not observed in this examination. normalities. Fig. 3 shows the clinical course of this patient. Laboratory data showed an excessive proportion of eosinophils (2,717 cells/mL) among leukocytes from periph- Discussion eral blood and a serum total immunoglobulin E (IgE) value of 1,200 IU/mL (Table 1). Specific IgE antibody to Asper- To our knowledge, this is the first case report to describe gillus fumigatus, specific IgG antibody, and a rapid cutane- ABPA developing in a patient with CD. Airway disorders ous reaction to A. fumigatus extract were all positive. A are the most frequently described pulmonary manifestations bronchoscopic examination did not reveal mucoid impaction of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Epidemiological stud- in the airway. However, eosinophil infiltration and myxoid ies have uncovered associations with bronchiectasis, chronic organization with no filamentous fungus were identified in bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and the peripheral airway mucosa of a transbronchial lung bi- asthma during the course of IBD (4). In addition, the inci- opsy specimen (Fig. 2A and B). A clinical diagnosis of dence of CD is increased in patients with asthma (5), indi- ABPA was established based on the above findings, in ac- cating complex interplay between both pathologies. cordance with the diagnostic criteria described by Genome-wide association studies have revealed a genetic Greenberger-Patterson (2) and Agarwal (3). linkage between asthma and CD, and NOD-like receptor- 2 Intern Med Advance Publication DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2785-19 Figure 2. A pathological analysis of the transbronchial lung biopsy specimen using Hematoxylin and Eosin staining. Eosinophil infiltration (arrow) (A) and myxoid organization (area surrounded by dotted lines) (B) are evident. A, magnification ×400; B, magnification ×40. Figure 3. Clinical course of the disease. ABPA: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, Eos: eo- sinophils, ICS/LABA: inhaled corticosteroid/long-acting beta agonist, WBC: white blood cells related gene variants are evident in both asthma and TNF-α plays a key role in the immunopathology of IBD CD (6, 7). For example, a genetic deficiency of NOD2 has and autoimmune disorders that are frequently treated with been associated with CD (7) and resistance to Aspergillus anti-TNF-α antibody. Because TNF-α plays a key role in infection (8). An immunological overreaction to Aspergillus the recruitment of neutrophils into the lungs in response to induced by a NOD2 deficiency might be one factor that trig- pathogens such as A. fumigatus (13), anti-TNF-α antibody gers ABPA onset. However, further investigations should be might induce intratracheal expansion or colonization with performed to confirm any premature speculation regarding this pathogen. This concept is supported by the finding of genetic relationships. an association between invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and The gut microbiome is considered to be one element in- infliximab therapy (14). volved in the development of CD, and its contents are asso- Previous reports have described patients with rheumatoid ciated with the disease severity (9). The intestinal microbiota arthritis (RA) and sarcoidosis in whom ABPA developed is involved in the pathogenesis of not only IBD but also al- while under therapy with anti-TNF-α antibody (Ta- lergic airway inflammation (9). Fungal microbiota in the gut ble 2) (15-17). In addition, patients with RA treated with might be particularly important to the regulation of inflam- anti-TNF-α-antibody presented with acute exacerbation of mation in both CD and asthma (9-11). The overgrowth of asthma (18). These findings suggest that impaired TNF-α- fungal species